Tom Cruise admits Scientology helped wreck his marriage

Tom Cruise admitted that Scientology played a part in his 2012 divorce from Katie Holmes, and that he didn't see his daughter Suri for more than 100 days, according to People.com.

Cruise is suing Bauer Publishing for $50 million over a story in In Touch magazine that accused him of “abandoning” his now 7-year-old daughter. In a Sept. 9 deposition, taken in Los Angeles, (a transcript of which was filed publicly), Cruise was questioned by Bauer's lawyer about a number of topics, including the role Scientology played in his divorce.

Cruise said Suri is no longer practicing the religion. When questioned about whether Holmes left him to “protect” Suri from Scientology, Cruise said, “I find that question offensive. ... There is no need to protect my daughter from my religion.”

But asked whether Holmes left him in part for that reason, Cruise said, “that was one of the assertions, yes. ... There are many other aspects to the divorce.”

Cruise was asked about Scientology's definition of a “suppressive person,” which, according to the church's website, refers to people who publicly renounce Scientology and therefore lose “fellowship with the Church as well as with other Scientologists.” Cruise called the description accurate. When asked whether the church would consider Holmes to be a suppressive person, he said, “That is a distortion and simplification of the matter. I don't want to just give an oversimplification of religious doctrine.”

So ... yes.

Advertisement

Cruise admitted he did not see his daughter for more than 100 days, from Aug. 4, 2012, when they wrapped up a weeklong father-daughter vacation to Disney World, until that Thanksgiving.

“Unfortunately in this situation it was impossible” he said, referring to his intense filming schedule in London on sci-fi thriller “All You Need Is Kill.” However, the actor said he called Suri nearly every day, though he reportedly admitted phone calls are a poor substitute for seeing a child in person. “You have to work at it. I've gotten very good at it. I tell wonderful stories,” he said. “I also find that, you know, Suri is a very happy child, and confident, and has a good sense of herself.”

Cruise didn't go to New York City for Suri's first day of school that September because of his film schedule and concerns about media attention. “If she had asked me to be there, I would have been there,” he said. “I would have worked it out in any way I could.”

“Things change and there are different agreements, like in any divorce, where you work out schedules,” he said. “It's just a different set of circumstances. It certainly does not mean that I've abandoned my daughter.”

Sufjan Stevens, "Carrie & Lowell" (Asthmatic Kitty) Plucked strings and pulsing keyboards dominate the distinctive arrangements on Sufjan Stevens' latest album, and in the absence of a rhythm section, they serve to keep time. Full Story

ODESSA, Texas (AP) — A West Texas man has been charged with impersonating an officer by using sirens and flashing lights to skip to the head of the drive-thru line at a fast-food restaurant. Full Story